Folding and reclining armchair



May 9, 195@ J. LEE 2,507,623

FOLDING AND RECLINING ARMCHAIR Filed May 28, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet l l .I I Y Il *u* ill I v Ii Q i l?, g i? FA f M v 5 i I l n! l I yf L M V:

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FOLDING AND RECLINING ARMCHAIR Filed May 28, '1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

Jim Lee may 9, 195o J. LEE 2,507,023

FOLDING AND RECLINING ARMCHAIR Filed May 28, 1947 s sheets-sheet s Patented May 9, 195:0

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOLDING AND RECLIN'IVN'G ARMCH'AIR Jim Lee, New York, N. y.

Application May 2s, 1947, serial Nc. 756,906

1 Claim. l

This invention relates to folding armchairs, and among its objects are to provide a chair of this type which is also a reclining armchair' and which may be released for automatic reclination by the occupant, and returned by him to the normal upright position, and secured therein by him, without the occupant leaving the chair. Existing chairs of this type require the occupant to leave them in order to adjust the chair to the position he desires, and when not used as a reclining chair they are not suitable as a rm, rigidly constructed, upright parlor or porch chair.

My invention embodies these novel features and other improvements and advantages as will appear from the following description, and which are pointed out in the appended claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved chair;

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a side view `showing my improved chair in one of the several inclined positions it will assume;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of my improvement as it appears when folded;

Figure 5 is a rear elevation of my improved chair showing the top thereof broken aw-'ay above the arm rests;

Figure 6 is a sectional detail taken on approximately the line 6-5 of Figure 2, and

Figure 7 is a sectional detail of the assembly of the parts 26, and their retaining latches 29, shown best in Figure 5.

Referring to the drawings: Leg members I and 2, Figure 1, are pivoted together at 3. The rear ends of legs I pivotally receive at 4 the bottom ends of the frame 5 which comprises the back of the chair. Arm rests 6, having laterally extending shelves are pivoted at 8 to the frame 5 above the pivot 4 and extend forward past the comfortably inclined, preferably upholstered, rigid chair seat 9 and are pivotally connected at I9 to uprights II. |The seat 9 is permanently fixed to legs 2 and lies between pivots 8 and i9, whilst suitable washers I2 properly space the arm rests with respect to the frame 5. At I4 the uprights are pivoted to the forward ends of the legs 2, and are firmly locked against unn desired pivotal movement thereon, as when my improved chair is being used as an upright parlor or porch chair, by latches I5, Figures 2, 3 and 6. The rear ends of the latches are pivoted to legs 2 as at I6, whilst the front, laterally turned ends Il! thereof, Figures 2, 3 and 6, hook behind retaining tongues I8 attached to the back of the uprights II to lock my improved chair in the upright position shown in Figures 1 and 2.

'I'he foot or leg rest I9 is, by a suitable metal hinge 20, Figure 6, pivoted to the inside of the forward end of the legs 2, and is anchored in the vertical position shown in Figures 1 and 2 by latches 2 I Figure 6. These latches are pivoted to the back side of the rest I9, and drop in behind tongues 22 on the uprights II below the similar tongues I8. Increased rigidity of the seat 9, and improved distribution of stresses under the weight oi the occupant of my iinproved chair, are had by pivoting on the legs 2, as at 23, a brace or support, comprising parts 2li, 25, 26, Figures 2, 5, and 7 which rests upon a cross-piece 21 lying between and fixed to legs I in front of pivot 4, portions of the seat 9 being notched at 28 on its underside to permit the brace to swing on its pivot 24. The lower ends of the parts 26 of the brace are grooved to interlock with the top of the cross-.piece 21, Figures 2, 3, 5 and 7, the cross-piece being provided with hinged latches 29 having tongues 35 which enter openings in parts 2S to lock the brace in place on the cross-piece, Figures 5 and 7. A cloth or other suitable material 3l of adequate strength and size is looped over and secured to anchor rods 32 and 33, Figures 1 and 2, rod 33 being pivoted to legs 2 in front of the seat 9, and rod S2 being pivoted to the frame 5 near the top of the latter. The cloth forms a comfortable back and body rest for the occupant of my improved chair, whilst the upholstered rigid seat 9 rmly supports his weight when my improvement is used as an upright chair, and cooperates with the cloth 3| to support his weight when my improvement is used as a reclining chair.

To recline my improved chair the occupant merely lifts the latches I5 whilst still seated in the chair, whereupon adjustment to any desired position is automatic. If the occupant does not desire to recline his entire body, but to recline only from his knees up, he releases latches 2i, without leaving the chair, whereupon the foot or leg rest I9 will remain in the vertical position shown Figure 2, and in dotted lines in Figure 3, whilst the rest of the chair reclines.

To fold my improved chair to the compact form shown in Figure 4 it is only necessary to release latches I5, 2I and 29 and move the parts to the position illustrated in that gure. l" am aware that changes may be made in the ccnstruction and arrangement of parts shown Without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. I desire, therefore, not to be limited to exact forms disclosed.

What I claim is:

A folding and reclining chair comprising two pairs of parallel spaced legs pivotally connected together to provide a crossed leg structure including back and seat members connected to said pairs of legs above the pivotal connection thereof, a pair of front uprights pivotally connected intermediate their ends to the upper ends of one pair of said legs, a pair of arm rests pivotally connected at opposite ends thereof to the upper ends of the respective front uprights and to said back members, a leg rest spanning the spa-ce between said uprights, said leg rest being of generally rectangular form and having its upper edge pivotally connected on said pivotal connection of said front uprights, the leg rest normally extending below the lower ends of said front uprights, and releasable latch means between said uprights and said leg rest, the latch means being disposed below said common pivotal connection of said uprights and leg rest and adapted to selectively connect the leg rest to and disconnect same from the uprights for swinging movement with the uprights or for immobility upon swinging movement of the uprights.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 32,822 Crane July 16, 1861 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 859,793 France Dec. 28, 1940 

